AI Usage

How Robo's AI works.

Robo's a friend with a brain — a real generative AI behind the soft eyes. This page explains what that means in practice: what's included, how usage works, what happens after the first year, and what's always yours to keep.

The short version

  • 12 months of AI conversation included with every preorder Robo, free.
  • Generous daily allowance for the first 6 months — lots of room to explore.
  • More measured allowance for months 7-12 — friend, not habit.
  • After 12 months, family plans available. Plush is yours forever.
  • We'll never auto-charge you. Always 30 days advance notice.

The AI behind Robo

Robo's conversation is powered by Google Gemini, one of the world's most capable AI systems. We've layered safety filters, age controls, topic boundaries, and parent settings on top so the AI behaves the way you'd want a friend to behave with your child — patient, curious, and predictable, never random.

Robo isn't freewheeling. He sounds natural because the AI is good, but his behavior — the modes he can do, the topics he engages with, the time he spends — is all shaped by us and adjustable by you.

What "12 months included" actually means

Every preorder Robo comes with 12 months of complimentary AI conversation service, starting the day Robo arrives and is activated in your home. You don't sign up for anything separately. You don't enter a credit card for it. It's part of your preorder.

This isn't our standard offer — it's our thank-you to the founding families who chose us first. Future customers, after our first batch ships, will be welcomed on standard family plans.

The first 6 months — generous, exploratory

For the first half-year, Robo's daily AI allowance is intentionally generous. Most kids will never come close to the limit through normal play — story time before bed, a few jokes after dinner, a chat about their day, a make-believe adventure on the weekend. The limit exists, but it's set high enough that you shouldn't notice it.

This is the period where your child gets to fall in love with Robo, and you get to see what kinds of conversations matter to them.

Months 7 through 12 — more measured

From month 7, the daily allowance becomes a little more measured. We're not telling you the exact number yet because we're still learning what feels right from real families' usage in the first 6 months. But what we can tell you is the reasoning:

Robo is meant to be a friend, not a habit. We don't want to build the kind of product your child reaches for every time they're bored or quiet. A friend you look forward to is better than one that's always on — for your kid, for your family, for the relationship Robo builds with them.

These limits also keep the service safe and sustainable for every family. Without them, heavy usage from a few accounts would force us into worse trade-offs for everyone else.

After 12 months — family plans

After your 12 included months, we'll introduce family plans — informed by what we've actually learned about how children use Robo, not made up in advance. Plans will fit different family rhythms (lighter use, more conversational, story-heavy, etc.), and you'll always be able to choose the one that fits.

Here's our commitment to you on what happens at month 13:

We will notify you at least 30 days in advance of any charges or material changes. We will never auto-charge you without your consent. You'll choose to subscribe — or not. The decision is yours.

What stays yours forever

Whatever you choose after month 12 — subscribe, skip, or pause — the physical Robo remains your property forever. Your plush is yours. Any on-device functions (eyes, sounds, anything not requiring the cloud) work for as long as Robo does. We will never brick or remotely disable your Robo.

If the AI provider ever changes

Robo currently runs on Google Gemini. If, in the future, we change the underlying AI service — for safety, performance, or any other reason — we will tell you in advance. The Robo your child knows will continue to behave like the Robo your child knows. That part isn't negotiable.

Common questions

Does my child need their own account?

No. The account holder is you, the parent. Your child interacts with Robo directly; you manage the settings, modes, and limits through the parent app.

What happens if we hit the daily allowance?

Robo will gently let your child know that talk time is paused for the day and suggest revisiting tomorrow. He doesn't shut down or go silent rudely — he stays a friend, just one who needs a break.

Does Robo work without internet?

Robo needs an internet connection to think and talk — that's how the AI works. Without internet, his eyes will still light up but the conversation features won't be available. We're already working on an on-device version that will run locally on the chip, no internet required. More on that soon

What about my child's data?

On our end, we don't save your child's conversations. We don't store them in our cloud, we don't use them to train AI models, and we don't share them with third parties. What we do save: a small set of insights extracted from the conversations — things like topics your child loved, questions they asked, books they enjoyed — that show up in your parent app so you can see what they've been talking about with Robo. That insight data is yours, in your account.

Conversations route through Google Gemini to generate Robo's replies. Google's handling of that data is governed by its own privacy terms.

What if I want to cancel the AI service later?

You can. Your physical Robo remains yours, the on-device functions keep working, and you can re-subscribe later if you change your mind.

Will the daily allowance be the same for every kid?

The default daily allowance is the same for every Robo. It's set as a ceiling, not a target. It's defined so the service stays sustainable for every family. From your parent app, you can dial it down further 

Questions we haven't answered

Email us at hello@rob-o-toy.com or reach out on Instagram at @robo.the.friend. We're a small team and we read every note. You'll hear back within 3 business days, usually from me.

— Last updated: June 3, 2026